Waiting for the End
by nazarethblood
Summary: An original interpretation of the Fallout universe in a new locale. Features a cast of characters from different worlds that find that the Philadelphia Wasteland needs them. Story begins one year after the events of Fallout 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Strangers**

It was a mild evening in the settlement of Musgrave, a small establishment in the northwestern most part of what was once a great city on the East Coast.

The worst of the summer heat was over and the residents lounged around the built-up alley between the two blocks of row homes that made up the entirety of the residential and business section of the village. The guards posted at the entrance watched bleary-eyed as the monotony of the Philadelphia Wasteland continued unchanging before them. Russell, a twenty-year resident of Musgrave, knocked back a shot of whiskey before setting the bottle and glass down on a makeshift table next to him. He then wiped the sweat from underneath the mop of dark hair covering his forehead and paused as a familiar group of rough-looking men and women appeared in the distance. _Raiders_.

"Joseph!" He whispered harshly to the other man on duty. "Stand watch while I go and get the sheriff." The other man nodded his consent and tried to look nonchalant as the older man moved quickly into the settlement, and the raiders came ever closer.

"Well, well, well! Who do we have babysitting the gates to 'paradise' today?" One of the men standing before Joseph mocked the lone guard and he flinched when the larger man flicked his nose. The others behind the man laughed. "What? Too much inbreeding make you stupid?" The laughter suddenly stopped as the raider grabbed Joseph by the chin and pulled him forward until their eyes were only inches apart. "Answer the damn question!"

"That will be enough, Reaper." An older grizzled man wearing ancient fatigues, a buttoned shirt and a long coat strode confidently toward the scene and spoke with an air of authority. He had a sawed-off shotgun in a holster to his left side and rested his hand on top of a large pistol on his right.

"Whatever, old man. You know why we're here! Give us our due and then enough WILL be enough." Reaper spat the words out as he violently released the smaller man and sauntered toward the sheriff of Musgrave. "We'll be waiting in that shithole you call a bar. _Sheriff_." At this, the group of raiders moved toward one of the many row homes to the right of the entrance, the one with a makeshift sign indicating to all interested parties that it was 'Joe's Cantina.'

The sheriff watched as the group entered the bar and shook his head, mumbling to himself. "They get worse every time."

* * *

The atmosphere in Joe's Cantina went to shit at the appearance of the extortionists from the nearby raider encampment. As they filed in, the locals did their best to blend into the background and be as unobtrusive as possible. Reaper and two others sat down at a tall table and called for service with a whistle and a gesture. One of the others stationed themselves by the entrance and the final raider moved into the bar to harass the inhabitants.

"Will you look at this? Actual poker chips, Reaper! These boys actually have real poker chips!" The raider exclaimed excitedly as he moved to grab the chips. He stood over a rough-looking middle-aged man with dark hair that wore traditional leather armor and another individual with their head obscured by a helmet that matched the dark armor they wore. A dark-gloved hand shot out just as the young raider grabbed a handful of chips and connected just below his ribs. "Ahh! What the fuck? Who the fuck do you think you are?" The raider pulled out a large serrated knife and was moving to threaten the insolent merc when the man moved and, in an instant, the young raider was on the floor cradling his now broken wrist.

A raspy masculine voice came from behind the dark-mesh of the helmet. "It isn't polite to touch what isn't yours. That will serve as your one warning." The lightly armored figure smoothly moved into position at the side of the bar, covering his flank from potential attacks by the other raiders. "Are there any objections to the lesson I have just given this whelp?"

At this, Reaper simply motioned for the two raiders sitting with him to pick up the younger raider. As they moved him, albeit roughly, to a table in the front of the bar, Reaper calmly approached the covered man and stood no more than five feet in front of him wearing a considering expression. The man before him was shorter than average, but carried himself with a confidence that was seen in a lot of the mercenaries he had come across in the past. He was covered from head to toe in a suit of dark-gray armor that almost seemed to absorb the light around him. He also observed that he carried no visible weapons on his person.

After sizing him up, Reaper arrogantly addressed the merc before him. "What you did there was impressive, waster. Dumb. But impressive. How would you like to join us for a drink? The first round would be on you, of course."

The mercenary stood facing Reaper for a pensive moment and then waved a hand in front of him. "I was in the middle of something and would like to get back to it. Maybe some other time." Though he declined the invitation, he remained in place...waiting for the inevitable.

"That wasn't truly a request, friend. Get your ass over there and buy us a round before this becomes a problem." Reaper now had a sneer on his face and was moving to place his hand on a wicked-looking machete strapped to his belt.

Still seated at the now empty table, no one noticed the slow movement of the defiant merc's companion while everyone's attention was on the display toward the back of the bar. He steadily unholstered a 10mm pistol that rested at his hip and pointed it toward the other raiders at the front of the bar, keeping it hidden underneath the table.

His companion seemed to notice this and moved into a ready position. "Take your people and get out of here before someone else gets hurt."

"You son of a..." Reaper pulled the machete from its holder and brought it down upon the foolish merc in one swift motion when the scene descended into chaos. Reaper never got to finish his exclamation as his intended target parried the attack, moved inside his attacker's threat range and landed a series of quick punches to Reaper's abdomen, followed by a strike to his throat. At the same time, several shots rang out and not all from his previously seated companion. It was over in an instant, with Reaper on his knees clutching his throat and three other raiders lying on the ground in various degrees of pain from the gunshot wounds they had received.

The young raider with a broken wrist still sat at a table but had become noticeably quiet and had a look of shock written across his features. He winced as he moved to put his hands above his head. "Don't shoot. Take what you want and I'll go."

A young attractive woman with tanned skin and reddish-brown hair motioned for him to go. _She was the one that had shot BeeBee_, he noted. He then slowly moved toward the door with his hands raised above his head and nudged the door open with his foot, never taking his eyes off of the woman in front of him. Once he was gone, the woman moved to the still choking raider at the back of the bar, as another patron wearing a blue jumpsuit checked on the remaining raiders.

"Are you going to finish it or let him suffer," she asked Reaper's assailant as he stood with his arms crossed above the choking raider. He noted that she wore what appeared to be well-used leathers and had two large daggers in sheaths on her right and left hips. She also wore a shoulder holster which now held what he guessed to be the .44 that was unmistakably heard during the chaos just moments ago.

He exchanged a look with his now standing companion and, with a shrug and another smooth motion, snapped the raider's neck to put him out of his misery.

"What about them?" The woman motioned with her head to the other raiders on the ground still writhing in agony.

The helmed figure again shrugged. "My grievance was with this one." He motioned to the now-dead Reaper. "The others are not my concern." At this, he moved to strip the raider of his belongings, including the machete that effectively began the fight. He stood a moment later, leaving only the makeshift armor on his felled opponent. To his chagrin, the woman hadn't moved and was still watching him.

"You realize that you were the cause of this situation and these people are now going to pay for your actions," she admonished the slightly smaller man in front of her. "If the guy wearing the jumpsuit over there and I hadn't stepped in, this situation would likely have gotten out of control and some of these people could have been hurt!"

The offending merc's companion, who had been quiet up until this point, came over to stand beside the seething woman. She noted that the man had weathered features and several old scars running across his neck and jaw line. He spoke with a slightly cultured voice and tried to be as soothing as possible. "My associate can be a little aggressive at times and I'm certain that he didn't intend for the situation to turn out the way it did. That said I believe the world will be better off without this lot."

The woman just huffed and walked back over to the bar. A light-haired man wearing a blue jumpsuit and a leather jacket with a clunky electronic device on his left arm had just finished examining the wounded raiders. He wore glasses and had a sophisticated air to him. As the woman passed, he stood and shook his head. "I don't think these three are in any condition to be moved. This one," he pointed to the female that was now gurgling pathetically, "has a pierced lung and likely won't last more than a few minutes."

The bartender, who had made himself scarce during the heated exchange, had reappeared and now directed one of the other locals to get the sheriff. The woman didn't have to go far, as the older man walked thru the door just as she reached it.

The sheriff nodded to the bartender as he stepped into the bar and surveyed the damage. It appeared as though there was limited damage to the actual property itself, but blood was now pooling around the bodies of the still living raiders. He then scrunched up his face and pinched his nose as he realized what this meant for Musgrave. "Jed," he directed the question to the middle-aged bartender, "who is responsible for this mess?"

Jed then made what was decidedly a good business decision and went with the diplomatic approach. "Reaper and his boys were causing trouble and harassed someone that they probably shouldn't have. The situation resolved itself, Sheriff." He then shrugged and moved to start cleaning a glass while trying to act as if there weren't four bodies lying on the floor of his bar.

The sheriff started to direct orders to the townsfolk to move the raiders outside as carefully as possible, before asking those involved in the firefight to follow him for a chat. He led the group of strangers a short distance from the bar and toward the opposite end of town where a large amount of debris acted as a natural barrier to the outside world. Once he was sure that none of the other locals were present, he turned to the group before him. "Listen. What you did in the bar...it may have seemed like a good thing, but those boys were part of a much larger outfit not far from here and they WILL NOT be happy with what happened."

The confrontational woman from earlier was again glaring at the merc that had caused the fight. She then turned to the sheriff and tried to sound convincing. "I'm sure there's something that can be done. Where are they based? Is it possible for these raiders to simply 'disappear' so that the rest of them assume that the wasteland got to them?"

The sheriff looked as if he was pondering for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision. "Right. Take the bodies to a nearby radscorpion den and leave them for the critters to deal with. I know you're all just travelers, but this is one old man that doesn't want to see his home turned into a warzone." He scratched his head and looked down, seemingly scrutinizing nothing at all. "If you could somehow take care of our raider problem, we could pay you..."

At this, four heads perked up clearly indicating that he now had their undivided attention. _So they ARE mercenaries. Interesting._

The sophisticated one in a blue jumpsuit that looked like he was from a vault spoke up first. "I trust you aren't implying that we should remove the entire raider encampment." He chuckled bemusedly. "That would suggest that we have a desire to throw our lives away needlessly." He stopped laughing as the sheriff nodded. "What, pray tell, can you," he gestured widely obviously indicating the settlement as a whole, "pay us that is worth pitting ourselves against an obviously much larger force of deranged psychopaths such as the men and women back there?" He adjusted his glasses as he waited for a response.

The sheriff expected this question and smiled wryly to himself, despite the situation. "Now I'd have to get this approved, but I think we could scrape together 250 caps apiece in addition to scavenging rights to whatever you find at their location." He paused to gauge the mercs' reactions. "It isn't going to be an easy time, but you'll get enough out of that place to set you up pretty good for at least the time being. I don't think it needs to be said that you'd be doing this town a service if you did it." He then assumed a neutral expression and waited for what was hopefully an affirmative.

The four mercenaries before him looked warily at each other as if sizing up potential opponents. The rough-looking one then broke the tense moment by coughing and trying to make light of the situation. "That sounds doable. Hey, it isn't like we'll be raped and tortured if we happen to fail and live thru it." No one else seemed to be amused by his sarcasm.

The young woman seemed to relax a little, though her response was laced with sarcasm as well. "I'm in, because SOMEONE needs to be accountable for their actions." She then resumed glaring at the helmed man to her left.

He took a step away from the woman, beginning to get a little unnerved by this seemingly unjustified hostility, and nodded his agreement. "I'll need specialized supplies that I can't find here." He looked toward the openly thankful sheriff. "How long until they think something's up?"

"I can only guess if Reaper and his boys came directly from the old school they use as an encampment, or if they were off waylaying wastelanders elsewhere." He scratched his chin, apparently in thought. "I imagine two days would be an outside guess as to when they'll come sniffing."

The covered man again nodded his approval. "That should be sufficient. I'll need to make a stopover in Lawnton to grab a few things before we engage the enemy." When the woman's glare turned into more of a curious look, he shrugged and continued. "I like to make sure that when I'm done, there's nothing else to be accountable for."

The vault dweller then spoke up, looking as if he had tasted something bitter. "You three look capable. I'm something of an expert in the medical field and try not to get too close to the fighting. You three watch my back and I'll patch yours up." He then folded his arms and surveyed his new companions with hopeful eyes.

The sheriff then smiled showing yellow teeth thru his thick mustache. "Excellent. Now that we have that settled, what are your names?"

* * *

It had taken them roughly half a day to make the trek north by north-west thru the Philadelphia ruins to get to the town of Lawnton. The trip was largely uneventful as the small group had made it a point to avoid the potentially problematic direct route in favor of a longer, less troublesome one.

The ruins in this part of the city were in bad shape and most had not stood the test of time. So when they approached what Spider, as the dark-armored man had revealed his name to be, called the settlement of Lawnton, it was nothing short of a miracle that this grouping of buildings had avoided the same fate as the majority surrounding them.

"It's highly questionable whether the dwellings in this area are structurally sound." Clain, the vault dweller, commented skeptically on the landscape before them. "What sort of specialized equipment can you hope to acquire in a location such as this?"

"The explosive kind." Spider answered simply, setting the pace for the three that followed. It had been several months since his last visit and hoped that Chaz was in a good mood today. He supposed that he should pay the moody weapons specialist for storing his non-essentials while he was away.

"It's that building. There." Spider pointed to a standalone building made of brick with ancient iron gratings over the windows and a heavy security door blocking passage into their intended location. Upon approach, Spider indicated for the others to stay back. He left them in the middle of what remained of the cracked and broken road and strode up to the heavy door. He pressed what appeared to be an ancient doorbell and waited for Chaz to answer.

After a few minutes, a small grating in the top portion of the door opened and closed for a brief moment and the door cracked open a bit. "What do you want, arachnid?" A wheezy and raspy voice came from the slight opening and seemed annoyed by the interruption. "You think you can just leave for months on end and just show up willy-nilly. What if I assumed the worst and 'oops!' happened to sell your gear to the highest bidder?" This last bit was said with a touch of humor mixed with annoyance.

"Very funny, Chaz. I'm in somewhat of a hurry. So if you don't mind..." Spider tapped a non-existent watch on his left wrist.

The door opened fully and standing before him was a man in an advanced state of decay. His sunken eyes, open nasal cavity and scraggly patches of hair showed him to be a ghoul. Spider noted that he was still wearing the same ancient army uniform from before the war, the fatigues now extremely faded in their old age. "You're always in a hurry. What if I wasn't home due to obligations that took me elsewhere? What would you do then?" The ghoul crossed him arms smugly.

"Like you have obligations that take you anywhere besides here and the bar. How are you?" Spider put his hand out and the two men shook hands. "Do you mind if we step inside for a moment?"

* * *

It had been an hour or so since Spider had entered the house with the ghoul named Chaz and the three remaining mercenaries were getting uneasy. None of them had ventured to this settlement before and thus didn't realize upon entering that it was a purely ghoul establishment. So far they had received a mixed reaction to their presence from the residents, ranging from curiosity to open disgust.

"Why do the decaying ones look at us so?" Kloe, as the woman was named, inquired with true bafflement written across her features. "Have one of you done something to offend this village?" Her voice sounded heavy as she looked to the two men standing before her.

The two men shook their heads and Baldo, Spider's companion, seemed to almost expect the behavior. "They look at us that way because people that look like you and I have obviously been less than kind to them at some point. I wouldn't read too much into it." He adjusted the sunglasses that he had been wearing since their departure from Musgrave. "Just don't do anything that could be perceived as hostile and we should be fine."

To her credit Kloe continued to look confused, but remained silent. She also seemed to be giving their surroundings even more scrutiny than Baldo deemed necessary. _She must be new to this_, he thought with a grimace.

Quite the opposite was true, in fact, as Kloe possessed keener senses than the others and felt, more than anything else, that something was wrong. It was only a minute before it happened but she knew something was coming and moved to pull the other two behind cover. "Come on!"

Not realizing that anything was wrong, Clain looked offended at having been manhandled and Baldo simply looked surprised at the strength she showed, almost able to drag them to the side of a nearby building. "What was that ab-" Baldo began to question when a loud crack was heard around the corner, followed by several raspy-voiced curses.

Peeking around the corner, Clain did a double-take at what he saw. "There are ants the size of children coming from underneath the ground!" He then moved back to let Baldo take a look and to ready his pistol. His hands were shaking slightly as he fiddled with the pistol grip.

Baldo seemed to relax a little as he noted the danger. "Calm down. They're just run-of-the-mill wasteland ants. We just need to kill a few of them and the rest should scatter." It was after that reassurance was uttered that the first wave of swarming ants began to spew fire on the nearby buildings. Baldo's jaw dropped. "Check that! We're going to have to kill as many of them as we can and hope they don't barbeque us." With that he ran to the building next to them and began fiddling with a ladder that had been haphazardly thrown on the ground. "You two do what you can. I'm going up."

Clain was still looking shaken when Kloe grabbed him by both arms and pushed him up against the wall. "Stay out of the way and try not to get yourself killed." Kloe managed to get a weak nod from Clain before she rounded the corner and began to holler and wave her arms in the air in an attempt to draw the ants away from the town proper.

Roughly half of the twenty ants now in attendance took the bait and started to make their way toward the wildly flailing person in front of them. All but one passed by the alley that Clain had found himself in without noticing him. The lone exception made a bee-line for his location however and came to a halt only a short distance away, spewing fire into the alley. It was only a rusty dumpster that saved Clain from the ant's wrath, so when the first spray ended, he leapt up and fired several shots from his 10mm pistol in the direction of his attacker before dropping down again. _I need a bigger weapon_, he thought.

Clain waited for the sound of another wave of fire but only the sounds of distant gunfire and flame being spewed from further away greeted him. He ventured a look over the charred dumpster and relaxed, as he saw that his haphazard shooting had caught the ant in the eye and felled it. He made his way to the edge of the alley and looked for where he may be needed most. Burned flesh was serious business after all...

* * *

Spider had been telling Chaz about his most recent contract and those that had inadvertently joined him as a result when the sounds of flamethrowers being used en masse pulled him away from his musings. The two men looked out from the front window and cursed simultaneously.

Spider was outside in an instant with Chaz grabbing his own rifle, securing the door and heading to the roof for a better position. When he stepped onto the roof and surveyed the situation before him, Chaz immediately caught sight of Spider two houses down with the body of an ant crumpled next to him. He lay in his makeshift sniper perch that he had set up for just such an occasion and prepared his bolt-action rifle for action.

Baldo only noted in passing that the ghoul, Chaz, had joined the fight on an adjacent roof as he took aim with his rifle and dropped another ant that was making its way out from the opening in the middle of the road. _These buggers are persistent!_

The locals were finding that the ants were more stubborn than the typical sort, as they seemed to require a lot more punishment to be put down. Spider was also having a difficult time, as his specialty was hand-to-hand combat and that was something of a hassle when facing opponents with built-in flamethrowers. He was being moderately successful by luring individual ants into alleyways and then ambushing them from behind piles of debris.

A female ghoul, Lucy, had taken to luring additional ants away whenever they bunched up to alleviate some of the pressure from the mysterious man darting in and out of the alleyways. She found it admirable that he didn't seem to need weapons to dispatch his opponents. It was after doing this several times, however, that tragedy struck and she hadn't noticed an ant coming from an alley beside her. She was completely doused in the newcomer's flames and didn't even notice when the man had run over and dispatched the two nearest her with a sharp iron pole.

"You're going to be okay." She heard a voice come from somewhere above her, though for some reason she couldn't see. "Quickly. Drink this." A foul-tasting liquid was poured down her throat and almost immediately she could feel the tingle of radiation spreading its' warmth thru her body, slightly lessening the damage to her irradiated skin tissue. She then felt herself being picked up and eventually set down upon a cool surface. _It all happened so suddenly_, she thought as darkness engulfed her.

Spider had just set Lucy down when he found that the remaining ants had migrated toward the other side of town and appeared to be getting dispatched by a whirlwind with a mane of reddish-brown hair. Kloe appeared to have suffered minor injury though it didn't appear to be affecting her combat prowess. She was moving faster than he thought possible and was quite literally leaping from opponent to opponent and tearing into them with what looked like a pair of rippers; the tiny blades on the daggers whirring as they ate into the exoskeletons of the ants.

After several moments of dumbstruck awe, Spider again found his wits and noticed Clain tending to several of the ghouls that had been targets of the ants' fiery wrath. Upon determining that there was no immediate threat to the vault dweller, he moved to assist Kloe. Or at least he intended to, as the remaining ants were put down by the time he got to her.

She appeared to be coming out of some sort of frenzy and almost turned on him when he came too close. After a moment she lowered her blades as she seemed to recognize friend from foe again and simply walked back toward the settlement proper without a word spoken between them. Spider just shook his head and turned to follow.

Walking back into the town center, the two mercenaries noticed that Baldo had again made himself known and was looking over the damage to the town. In all, three of the twelve buildings that made up the settlement had been set ablaze and were still burning. Several of the residents were standing in front of the buildings looking disheartened, while still more had found the courage to walk over to the gaping hole in the ground and look down.

Baldo walked over to stand next to Spider and nodded to the ants' means of egress. "Is there anyone in Lawnton that is equipped to handle that? We're running short on time." He turned away when the man next to him looked his way.

"There are several people here that are quite capable of dealing with traditional wasteland dangers as they present themselves. This is far from traditional, however." Spider then motioned for Kloe to come over and join them. "I've had some experience with this type of ant in the South, some time back. It took some special attention, but I believe we can handle it quickly and negotiate a decent payment for it."

Kloe did nothing more than nod in agreement. She still appeared to be anxious from the action. Baldo however was shaking his head. "We don't have time for this. Unless you plan on simply collapsing the tunnel, any time we take to do anything else has a chance of interfering with our CURRENT contract." He folded his arms and managed to look stern.

At this point, Clain had made his way over and was looking quite despondent. "I've lost two people so far and," he gestured to the building where Lucy was, "the female over there lying inside that building doesn't look well either."

Spider just shrugged. "We'll need to get her to the irradiated service station nearby to help speed up the healing process. Have the locals do it. We need to take care of this nest."

After a brief look of confusion, Clain wandered off to waylay several of the residents to carry out the odd request. Spider continued to look toward where Clain had stood, and seemed almost wistful when he turned to Baldo. "You wouldn't have a problem handling this situation if it were a group of unmutated people needing help." He slowly shook his head in disappointment. "Your previous affiliation still seems to color some of your decisions."

Baldo looked hurt by this accusation. "You know very well that part of the reason I had to leave was because of my unprejudiced beliefs." His face hardened a little after a moment. "These people can handle this situation themselves. I'm not so certain about Musgrave." He started to walk away toward the far side of town. Before getting too far, however, he called back, "If you want to risk it, then the consequences are on your head."

* * *

Proofread by Nutzoide.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Fallout or anything related to such. _

**Chapter 2 – An Eventful Return**

After a brief huddle with Mr. Monroe, the self-proclaimed Mayor of Lawnton, the four mercenaries had left their packs with Chaz and made their way into the gaping hole that had allowed the felled ants access to the surface.

The dark passage seemed to have a ceramic feel to it as they descended further and the group was quite often forced to move on their hands and knees as the tunnel varied widely in shape. This combined with poor lighting conditions provided solely by a chemical light stick filled the air with thick, claustrophobic tension.

They let out a collective sigh of relief when the tunnel opened up into a warm antechamber the size of a small house. Looking around, they noticed extensive tunneling beyond and realized that the residents of Lawnton had a much larger problem - due to the ant infestation, there were now a series of subterranean caverns that spanned the area around the small community.

Sensing movement nearby, the mercenaries quietly scuttled their way back up to the surface to plan their next move. Clain was the first to break the silence when they had emerged and seemed confident as he addressed the others. "We must remove their queen." He continued when he saw Spider nod. "Something must be down there that is allowing them to reproduce in large numbers and I'm guessing that this colony is much like the smaller variety."

"Our best bet is to set off charges around the queen as well as where they keep their young and then deal with the fallout when it becomes necessary." Spider had taken over from Clain and his raspy voice was surprisingly enthusiastic. "I have the necessary equipment here that will allow us to move immediately."

* * *

After a quick discussion, it was decided that only one person would be necessary to carry out the task at hand and Spider now found himself slowly making his way down one of many tunnels that ran underneath the Philadelphia Wasteland.

On his left wrist was a small watch-like device that reflected the light around him so as to make him virtually invisible. He also wore a pair of clunky matte-black goggles that showed the heat signatures of everything he viewed. The cavern was now alight with shades of green, yellow, orange and red as he continued on to his unknown destination. Occasionally he would have to stop and lean up against the tunnel wall as the vibrant colors in the form of an ant skittered by.

The stealthboy on his wrist, paired with his mastery of covert operations, allowed for him to move undetected thru much of the labyrinthine network of tunnels, though there was a particular breed of ant, larger than the rest, that reacted to his presence if he came within ten yards of it. These he quickly learned to identify from a distance and did his best to avoid by taking other routes.

It was after one such encounter and subsequent evasion that he had to move a little too quickly to avoid detection and ran almost directly into one of these larger ants that he referred to as "guardians." The hulking form of the guardian, about the size of a small car, instantly reacted to his presence and flung him up against the wall. He hit the wall with a thud and was only saved from a mild concussion by the helmet that he perpetually wore smacking against the smooth surface of the tunnel instead of his skull.

He quickly somersaulted out of reach and pulled out a round, tightly packed baggy filled with a white substance that resembled the commonly found Abraxo Cleaner from the world above. He held his position for a moment as he waited for the critter to move into range and then lobbed the ball of powdery cleaning solution into its face when it was about ten feet away. Upon impact, the ball burst open and white powder covered the front of the creature causing it to emit a high-pitched chirping sound and shake its head from side to side in an erratic fashion.

With the creature temporarily distracted, Spider quickly moved away from the scene and happened upon a cavernous room filled with varying stages of larvae, as well as a number of ants that were smaller than the ones he had encountered on the surface. From the heat signatures, there seemed to be literally hundreds of the small pods that held the developing larvae. _I hope I have enough dynamite_. He shook his head and pushed his worries to the back of his mind as he slowly moved toward his target.

* * *

On the surface, Baldo, Clain and Kloe had decided to watch the ant hole in two-hour shifts. It had been roughly three hours since Spider had descended into enemy territory and Baldo sat in an ancient metal chair about twenty yards away from the subject of his observation. His rifle lay across his lap and he occasionally sipped from a bottle labeled 'Olde Royale Premium Whiskey' that sat on the ground next to him. The sun had gone down about an hour before and he found himself alone on Lawnton's only street.

"_Baldo Emerson." A stern voice addressed a well-groomed man in his thirties. His long dark hair matched his eyes and a light shadow covered the cheeks and jaw line of his ruggedly handsome face. He wore a set of standard issue recon armor and the dark material stood out in contrast to the well-lit conference room in which he sat. _

_Before him stood an aging man with cropped white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. His piercing gray eyes were slightly sunken from years of not sleeping properly and he wore a similar set of dark armor as the middle-aged man before him. He stood with both hands pressed against the wooden table separating the two and spoke passionately to his subordinate. "You were sent to retrieve an item of interest. You were advised to use any means necessary to obtain said item due to its inherent value to our organization. But what did you have your men do when an opportunity presented itself?" At this point, a look of disgust was openly displayed on the older man's face. "You withdrew without so much as an attempt to complete your assignment."_

_The younger man leaned forward and spoke in a very serious tone. "There were civilians preventing us from achieving our objective, sir." He started to shake his head slowly as he continued. "I wouldn't risk sacrificing our relationship with the locals to retrieve something that I could easily locate again at a later time."_

_At this point, the white-haired man smashed his gloved hand onto the table and practically spit the next words out. "You were in a ghoul infested town! Who gives a shit if you drop a few of the shufflers?"_

"_They're still people, sir. I will not order my men to conduct wholesale slaughter based on an unfortunate mutation!" The younger man now stood and was mirroring his superior with the positioning of his hands on the table between them. "What happened after the target left town was out of our control."_

"_You've disobeyed orders for the last time, Emerson!" The older man stood straight up and placed his hands behind his back. "I'm relieving you of your command and filing the paperwork to have you court-martialed." He now moved toward the heavy wooden door to the far side of the room. "Enjoy your 'relationship' with the locals."_

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled Baldo from his reverie and he noticed that Chaz was making his way toward his position. The ghoul still wore a pair of ancient fatigues, though he now wore a faded black jacket to keep the chill of the night air at bay.

When he was within a short distance, Chaz nodded to the seated man and spoke in a neutral tone. "It can get kind of lonely out here at night. Care for some company?" When Baldo nodded his consent, the ghoul moved to the side of him and sat on his haunches while eying the ant hole. "How long have you known the arachnid?"

Baldo turned his head slightly toward the ghoul sitting next to him and arched an eyebrow. "It's been a couple of years now." He pinched his nose and seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I think we were both playing cards in a settlement down south and some trouble started with the locals." He barked out a laugh at this point. "Funny that something similar had led us here."

Chaz just grunted. "You seem typical of the sort he associates with. Watching you on the roof with your rifle, I'd say that you were former military, if such a thing still existed." At this, Baldo attempted to hide his surprise, though if the ghoul noticed he didn't show it. "I learned a long time ago that there are a lot of forces at work in this world and that sometimes it's difficult to distinguish those that will lead to reward from those that will lead to ruin." He paused for a moment, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a tarnished metal lighter. After taking a drag and blowing out the smoke he continued. "These forces constantly mold us, though in the end life is full of choices."

Baldo nodded to indicate his understanding, even if he wasn't sure as to why they were having this discussion.

Seeing the look of confusion on Baldo's face, his tone turned apologetic. "Please forgive an old man's musings. You remind me of someone. That's all." Chaz then stood up and took another preliminary look around. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, or more accurately didn't see, he started to move toward the bar, calling out behind him. "Take care."

Baldo turned to watch him go while wondering what other strange things would happen while he was on duty.

* * *

Spider had just spent the last two hours dividing his resources and placing charges in what he judged to be appropriate locations in and around the 'hatchery' and the queen's lair beyond. It was going to be a close call as to whether there would be enough dynamite to do the job and he hoped that the ancient timers he had placed on the explosives would work as intended.

He had been lucky when he initially entered the cavernous chamber beyond the hatchery and found it lacking any guardians. The main occupant of this chamber was the size of a small house and seemed to be occupied with the constant task of swelling the ranks of its 'subjects.' The ants that attended the queen were the same dog-sized variety that were in the hatchery and didn't catch on to his presence even when only a short distance away.

As the time approached for the first explosives to go off, Spider made his way out of the chambers of the queen and into the flow of the connecting tunnels. He made certain not to travel down the same path he had taken previously due to the undoubtedly enraged guardian that was likely to be in the area. Luck was again with him as the route he chose took him to an area that he recognized.

After another thirty minutes of wandering, Spider found himself crawling up toward the surface and emerging from the large hole in the ground. He was soon greeted by a whistle coming from above and when he looked toward the direction of the sound, he quickly switched off his thermal goggles and saw the curvy silhouette of a female on a nearby roof. The figure jumped off of the two story building and rolled upon landing to disperse the force of the impact. He now stood face to face with Kloe, her features almost feral as she regarded him for a moment and then nodded.

"Welcome back." As she spoke, she moved toward the steps to enter Chaz' dwelling and motioned for Spider to stay put. "I'll get the others."

After ten minutes had passed, all four mercenaries were again assembled a short distance away from the ant hole with Mr. Monroe making his way toward them. The ghoul wore a faded navy blue business suit and had somehow managed to keep his mustache, though the rest of his hair had gone with the last of his skin. His milky eyes looked over those assembled before him in a discerning fashion and when he spoke, it was with slight trepidation in his voice. "I take it you were successful." This he directed to Spider and received a nod in response. He then turned to the others and voiced his next inquiry. "What do we do next to exterminate the remainder of these pests?"

"If Lawnton can provide the explosives, I believe it would be advisable to collapse the whole network of tunnels. It appeared to be deep enough that it shouldn't cause any sinkholes on the surface." Clain was quick to respond to the mayor's question and received a frown in return. "It would at least ensure that a large number of them were exterminated."

"The results of the blasts would be too unpredictable and we would risk a repeat performance from somewhere else nearby." Spider shook his head as he poked holes in Clain's argument. He then went on to suggest a complicated process of setting up miniscule amounts of explosives attached to trip wires that would allow them time to respond to the oncoming threat and maintain a semblance of normalcy until they were able to decide what to do next.

"Do you truly think that setting mines and grenades with trip wires is an advisable course of action?" Clain was standing with his hands behind his back as he questioned the validity of Spider's suggestion. "That seems like such a temporary solution to a much larger problem." He then looked nervously over to the hole as if it could tell they were discussing its fate.

"I agree with the vault dweller." Kloe followed the conversation while keeping her eyes on the subject of their discussion. "The creatures will only be deterred so much before they seek another way." The others didn't seem to notice that she had been fingering the hilts of her rippers as she spoke.

Mr. Monroe agreed with Spider however and debated the point. "It would act as an early warning system for Lawnton and could prove invaluable to our security. I feel it is better to know where the enemy is coming from and when, as opposed to leaving it up to chance." He still wasn't certain what to think of the odd group.

Baldo showed irritation over their continued discussion—what he perceived to be a pointless endeavor—and huffed loudly while throwing his arms in the air. "Let's stop this endless debate and actually DO something! If Lawnton has the resources, then we will do what is asked." He now pointed at the gaping hole. "That is not our greatest concern right now. We have to do what is necessary and get moving!"

At this outburst, Baldo could tell even thru the black mesh of his helmet that Spider was now glaring daggers at him. "Fine." Spider responded curtly. "We'll do things _my_ way. We will complete our current contract, and then we will return _here_" With that said Spider turned on his heel and walked toward the mayor's standalone house, brooking no argument from the others. Mr. Monroe followed closely behind though he didn't say anything.

They approached a two-story house made of brick that was reinforced with large pieces of sheet metal for added protection. The first floor windows had metal bars running vertically that were very likely installed after the original inhabitants were long since dead. As they mounted the stairs, another ghoul in a suit of light-colored combat armor and wielding an assault rifle grunted at them, and then moved to the side as they reached the porch.

"Lead the way." Spider directed to the mayor and followed behind with the heavily armed ghoul bringing up the rear.

* * *

It had been several hours since they had left Lawnton and it was now approaching midnight according to the digital clock on Clain's wrist-mounted computer. The group had determined that it was necessary to travel thru the night to try and make up for lost time, and the moonlight bathed the debris of the Philadelphia Wasteland in a pale eerie glow.

No words had been exchanged between Baldo and Spider since their earlier interaction and they presently found themselves passing thru an ancient courtyard of what was once a grand hotel. The crumbling brick masonry of the courtyard had undoubtedly been the pride of the hotel proprietors and the occupants of the surrounding buildings at one time. Baldo spared a glance at the decayed edifice of the building and shook his head in frustration. _Such a waste_

Kloe was uneasy as the four mercenaries made their way thru the open area and she again sensed that something was amiss. "There are eyes upon us." She spoke quietly as she nonchalantly unholstered her .44 and let the hand holding the pistol dangle to her side. "Be ready."

Clain, for his part, did his best not to seem too shaken by this statement and simply pulled out his 10mm pistol while forcing himself to look straight ahead. "Shouldn't we find cover instead of remaining in the open?" His voice betrayed the nervousness he felt as he whispered the words.

"Just keep moving toward the Corvega on the other side of the courtyard and stay quiet." Baldo whispered as they made their way toward the relic of a vehicle, its huge chassis a dark shade of brown from the rust that had consumed the exterior.

Just as Baldo was leading the group toward the aforementioned vehicle and was passing by the farthest side, the telltale click of a hammer being drawn back from a revolver was heard from their right. This sound was soon followed by the appearance of a dirty man in piecemeal armor rising from behind the Corvega. His bald head reflected the light of the moon and showed a variety of scars running across his jaw line and scalp. His fierce grin displayed a lack of teeth and when he spoke, it was the voice of one that had smoked for far too long. "Drop your weapons, scavs!" He brandished the heavy pistol menacingly, first at Baldo and then at the other three.

At this demand, Baldo appeared to gain back some of his good humor. As he dropped his 10mm pistol and raised his arms over his head, he cracked a smile and turned to the others. "Why is it that raiders are all so keen on name-calling?" Once the weapon was no longer pointed in his direction, Baldo dropped to the ground while grabbing for the holdout pistol he carried on his calf. His ploy worked and the sound of three gunshots were heard, two from his own pistol and one from the raider's revolver that he fired before dropping it to the ground.

The raider clutched at the two gunshot wounds that pierced the armor over his stomach and fell to his knees. "How did you...?" He mumbled pathetically as he fell over.

Baldo then looked over at the other three from his position on the ground and saw what had become of the bullet that was meant for him. His smile faded as he saw Kloe clutching at her side and moving to lean against the vehicle.

"Nice job." She stated this in an almost conversational tone as she attempted to apply pressure to the wound and winced.

Baldo frowned and shook his head while responding seriously. "I'm sorry, Kloe. I thought he would take the shot at me." He then stopped for a moment and listened. "Do you hear something?"

As a matter of fact, it was several somethings in the form of the downed raider's companions responding to the gunshots that were just fired. The sound of their footsteps could be heard quickly covering the distance from the dilapidated hotel entrance, though it wasn't immediately clear that the raiders knew exactly where the shot had come from.

Baldo spotted them as they cleared the shadow of the entrance and made their way into the shattered courtyard. He motioned for the others to get down while retrieving his 10mm from the ground. The other three did so, though Kloe did so at a slower rate and this delayed reaction was sufficient enough for the raiders to notice them.

A call to arms was sounded by a high-pitched female voice a short distance away. As her footsteps came closer, the woman cooed toward the hidden position of the mercenaries. "Come out. Come out. Wherever you are..." She then directed one of her companions to circle the other side of the vehicle.

As the two raiders rounded the opposite sides of the Corvega, they leveled their pistols at an attractive woman with sharp features clutching at her side and a man in a blue jumpsuit with his hands above his head. As they were about to speak, there was a sound from inside the vehicle and two shots were fired from the small arms within.

The female raider instantly fell over dead, as the bullet drilled thru her skull and splattered gore and gray matter from the exit wound to the ground below. The male raider clutched at the fresh wound in the side of his neck while blood gushed out at an alarming rate and darkness quickly overtook his vision. It took him a few moments longer to fall over as his life's blood drained onto the ground beneath him.

Baldo and Spider moved to the side of the vehicle that was closest to the other raiders and used the heavy doors that still remained as cover when several rounds were inevitably sent their way. They both popped up simultaneously after one such round pinged harmlessly off the side of the heavy exterior and unleashed several shots of their own on the opponents spread out before them.

At the same moment, Clain reached out to grab the bloody pistol from the dead raider a few feet away and stood with one pistol in each hand while firing haphazardly at the defensive position of the first raider he saw. This one was using a pile of rubble as cover and wore decrepit leathers for protection. After firing several shots from each pistol, Clain dropped back down behind the vehicle and smiled to himself as he noted that his intended target had winced and grasped at his shoulder after his last shot was fired.

During this exchange, Kloe was busy applying a syringe containing a stimulant to her wound and another containing a pain reliever to her left forearm. She grimaced as the needles slid in and then relaxed as the drugs took effect. She then readied her heavy pistol for any attackers that may have drummed up the courage to round their defensive position.

She wasn't kept waiting, as one enterprising raider with a dirty-blonde mohawk was using a piece of sheet metal as a shield while closing the distance on their location. He quickly rounded the side of the vehicle where Kloe was waiting and dropped his makeshift protection in favor of a pistol.

The instant the filthy man standing before her had dropped his shield, Kloe let loose two rounds from her .44 which struck the raider in his crotch and sternum and threw him from his feet. She again waited for further movement from the floored man, but none came.

All that now remained of the raider group was a wounded man lying behind some loose debris and a woman with a mane of chestnut brown hair that was in the process of retreating back to the darkened hotel.

After determining that the present threat was minimal, Spider exited the Corvega and stealthily made his way toward one of the open windows of the decrepit hotel. He then popped his head up to inspect the room for danger and quickly climbed thru to the open space beyond.

Baldo had also made his way out of the vehicle and checked on the bodies of the raiders nearest him. He patted them down and after a few moments gave a contented "hmm" as he seemed to find what he was looking for in the form of a wicked looking combat knife. He then began the grisly task of insuring that the wounded were put down permanently.

After several minutes passed, shouting could be heard from the upper floors of the hotel followed by several gunshots being fired and then silence. Shortly thereafter, Spider emerged from the hotel entrance and joined Clain and Kloe near the remains of the ancient automobile. Clain appeared to be looking askance at Spider and disapproval could be heard in his voice when he spoke. "You killed that girl even after she had withdrawn." He wrung his hands as his voice became louder. "She was no longer a threat and you hunted her like an animal and put her down!" Clain now wore a look of disgust as he crossed his arms.

Spider was taken aback by this admonishment and was silent a moment while he decided the appropriate way to respond. "You need to learn not to leave loose ends in this world." His raspy voice was almost a whisper as he looked toward Clain. "Otherwise, you'll find that your compassion will find its way back to you in the form of a knife across your throat in the middle of the night."

* * *

Before leaving the hotel, Baldo had insisted that they do a preliminary sweep of the area and retrieve any items of value. As he, Kloe and Spider started to move toward the dark entrance of the decrepit building, Clain shot Kloe a look and motioned for her to stay put. "Wait a minute! You need to sit down and rest a moment while I take a look at that wound." Kloe looked as if she was going to argue, but seeing the stern expression on the doctor's face, she relented and leaned against the car with a huff. Baldo and Spider simply shrugged and continued on without the other two.

After pulling a medical kit out of his pack, Clain pulled out a tiny square packaged product and removed the contents from its wrapper. He applied the disinfecting wipes to the wounded area and removed as much of the blood and dirt that he could while stopping whenever Kloe would wince.

"You're lucky." The doctor's voice was grim. "It appears that the bullet went straight thru and may not have done any internal damage." After cleaning the wounded area as best he could, he pulled out some gauze and handed it to his patient. "Hold this on the entry and exit wounds and start making your way to the hotel lobby. I'll feel better about finishing up in the confines of a building rather than keeping you out in the open like this."

Baldo and Spider had spent an hour going thru the various rooms of the hotel and after coming across a lot of junk, they were able to sort out some of the more valuable items for trade. They had stacked the worthwhile items near the area on the first floor that Clain was using to stitch Kloe up and now stood on either side of the hotel lobby looking out on the broken courtyard beyond.

Once Clain was finished stitching and made certain that an infection wouldn't be an issue, he motioned for Kloe to move. "You're all set. Try not to stand so close to Baldo next time." This he said as he smirked and looked toward where Baldo was standing on the far side of the room. If he heard what the doctor said, it didn't show as he continued looking thru the broken window frame while wearing a serious expression. _Tough crowd_.

"Are we ready to move?" Spider walked over to Clain and voiced his inquiry. "We should be able to cover the distance to Musgrave by morning.

Clain simply nodded and after packing up his medical kit and taking on his share of the items to be traded, moved out with the rest of the team.

The remainder of the journey was uneventful and as the small settlement came into view by the light of the morning sun, each of them wondered if they had arrived in time.

It was mid-morning by the time they made their way to the entrance of Musgrave and were relieved to find the sheriff standing guard. He tipped the brim of a dark-colored hat that now adorned his mop of gray hair in greeting. The wide brim was reminiscent of gunslingers of the past and was a rarity in these parts.

"Morning." As he spoke, the sheriff glanced over his shoulder for a moment as if to insure that no other locals were nearby. "Nice of you to join us."

* * *

Proofread by Nutzoide.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Fallout or anything related to such. _

**Chapter 3 - The Wrong Side of Musgrave**

Upon their arrival, the sheriff had grabbed one of the locals to watch the gate, while he took the group of mercenaries to the building he used as an office.

At the far end of Musgrave, near the large pile of debris where he had first given them their mission, the row home stood apart from the rest of the block, separated by an ancient looking alley that acted as an emergency escape route if the main entrance came under attack. The brick edifice of the building itself looked to be in decent condition and the first floor windows were covered with sheet metal that was somehow bolted in place.

A decrepit-looking wooden door took them inside and thru a spotless kitchen where various foodstuffs were organized on shelving that ran across the entirety of the room. They were led into a large space that contained two old couches, a desk, a four-person table and two lamps sitting on antique end tables. The lamps appeared to be wired to a small generator that was humming quietly in a far corner near the steps. As they entered, the sheriff motioned for the others to sit and they did, with the exception of Spider, who stood to one side of the couches.

"It would appear that Reaper's outfit is buying our story at the moment." The sheriff pinched the bridge of his nose, took his hat from atop his head and set it upon the end table next to him. "Another one of their 'collectors' paid us a visit last night and took us at our word that Reaper and his gang already came and went."

Kloe looked relieved and stated as much. "This is good news." She then visibly straightened as she saw the look on the older man's face. "Why do you look troubled?"

"It would appear that Reaper had been pocketing caps from the money Musgrave had been paying for protection and lying to his betters about how much we were actually giving." He grimaced at the memory of the previous night's meeting. "Their representative advised us in no uncertain terms that we will pay them double what we had before going forward or they were going to start taking residents for their amusement."

Baldo gave the grizzled man an appraising look and spoke in a serious tone. "Then it was inevitable. You were going to receive that message one way or another and have to deal with it regardless of Reaper's current status." He then pressed his lips together in a tight line as he saw the defeated acknowledgement on the sheriff's face.

"In years past, this sort of thing would be put down by the Regulators. They'd be all too happy to remove the raider presence, along with their fingers, and let the town of Musgrave go about its business. Now..." The sheriff looked up and held the eyes of each of the mercenaries in turn. "Now we are reliant on the goodwill of random passersby to help us through this and have to hope for the best."

At this, he got up and went over to the aging wooden desk to pull out a folded map. He then motioned everyone over and spread the map across the table so that everyone could see the area surrounding Musgrave. He pointed to a building that read 'Germantown High School' on the ancient yellow road map that had been circled in pencil. "This is where the raider camp is located and this..." He pointed to a street not more than 2 miles away, "is where we are now. Notice the close proximity. If at any point they decide that this settlement is not worth keeping around, they could easily be here within an hour...if they took their time."

"Are they known to take hostages?" Clain addressed this to no one in particular and got a 'you must be kidding' look in response from Baldo. Noting his response, Clain decided to try another question. "Can we expect there to be any hostages in their custody should we decide to move forward with this life-altering decision?"

"It's a possibility." The sheriff gave him a serious look as he responded and then addressed the group as a whole. "Can we still count on your assistance? They said they'd return in three days time."

Kloe was the first to nod her agreement and attempted to give the troubled man what she thought was a winning smile, but came off as more of a cheshire grin.

Baldo also nodded and looked like he was going to say something before thinking better of it, as his face again faded to neutrality.

Spider also gave one quick nod and voiced a concern he had been mulling over in his head. "You should know that I am planning on removing a large portion of the raider threat by using several high-powered explosives. The materials are quite rare and I would like to be compensated for their use." Seeing the skeptical look that began to blossom on the sheriff's face, he continued. "I believe that it may be the only way to handle a force as large as you say they have. Anything else would put us at too much risk."

"How much are we talking?" The grizzled man rose from his leaning position and folded his arms across his chest.

"Fifteen-hundred caps should cover the cost of the dynamite, mines and grenades that will be required to complete the operation." Spider spoke with confidence as he addressed the group before him.

The sheriff whistled in response and shook his head. "That's a sizeable amount there." He was silent a moment as he appeared to be in thought. He then licked his lips and continued. "We could offer you half of that."

"Make it an even thousand and you've got a deal." Spider then reached out his gloved hand and after a moment the sheriff took it, shaking twice. "Assuming that Clain is still onboard with us," he stopped and waited for the doctor's affirmation and went on, "I believe we just need to grab a few supplies and head out."

* * *

It had been quite a few hours since their meeting with the sheriff of Musgrave. After leaving the meeting, Baldo had surprised the others with a yellowing pre-war atlas of the Philadelphia area. They had spent another hour or so plotting their course thru the aging streets of the once mighty metropolis and after a brief stopover in the only store in town, Delilah's Supply, and some shuteye in the common house, the band of mercenaries began their venture even as dusk fell upon them. The chill of the night air was almost welcome as they traveled to stave off their building fatigue and the cluttered avenues were mercifully devoid of wasteland critters.

As they now followed that same course thru the debris-strewn streets toward their intended destination, each mercenary took note that this part of town was ruined considerably less than some of the areas further south in the city proper. The path they had plotted circled around the raider encampment at a distance of a half-mile so as to test the security of their perimeter.

Given the nature of whom they were dealing with, Spider wasn't in the least bit surprised that the raiders lacked an outside perimeter guard. When they were on the opposite side of the raider camp as it related to Musgrave, he also noted that thru-traffic here was considerably more likely given the remnants of a blockade that was probably used for ambushing weary wastelanders.

When the group had distanced itself a little more from the waylay point, Spider motioned for the others to bring it in. As the four huddled together in a decrepit alleyway, Spider kept his voice low so as to avoid any unwanted attention and addressed the others. "At this point, I think it's better to split up and send two forward to scout the inside perimeter. I'll go along with one other." He looked at the other three faces before him and waited for what he thought would be an obvious reply. He was not surprised when Kloe cleared her throat to get the others' attention.

"I'll go with you. I'm not much for waiting." At this, she pulled back her mane of reddish-brown hair and tied it into place with a faded black ribbon. "Let's go." She began to move out of the alleyway and stopped when Spider didn't immediately join her.

Spider addressed Baldo and Clain in hushed tones and joined Kloe after only about a minute or so. He motioned for her to follow him and they continued on in near silence for about another two blocks before Kloe touched Spiders arm and held up a fist to indicate that they should stop. They then moved stealthily behind one of Philadelphia's many ruined vehicles and crouched down so they could better survey the situation under cover.

When they were finally in place, Kloe simply pointed to her ear and made a sweeping motion as if to indicate that Spider should listen to the sounds of the surrounding area. He did so and noticed that there were _no_ sounds; not even the ambient sounds of insects chirping in the night air. When he looked back over to Kloe she had already quietly drawn her rippers and appeared to be listening intently.

After several minutes, the sound of something large could be heard lumbering down the avenue. It sounded like it had come from inside one of the vacant buildings and was moving in their intended direction. When it was on the opposite side of the burnt out vehicle they were using as a barrier the movement stopped, and Kloe and Spider could hear whatever it was sniffing the air. This continued for about a minute before they heard what sounded like a hiss mixed with a roar coming from the creature and it ran off in the direction they had been heading and was gone.

It took less than a minute for them to realize what had caught the creature's attention, as several shotgun blasts could be heard in the distance. After four shots had been fired, silence reigned once again and the two hidden mercenaries wondered what it was that they had just encountered.

Not wanting to risk coming into contact with a new breed of wasteland critter, Kloe and Spider waited another thirty minutes before venturing out again. They kept to the shadows and slowly crept in the direction that they had originally intended and noted that their patience had paid off. The mercenaries had located the source of the creature's attention in the form of a shredded body lying in a heap in the middle of the street. Judging from the apparel that adorned the mangled corpse, it was very likely a patrolling raider that had met their end.

Though there was no sign of the lumbering hulk that had dispatched and partially consumed the raider, Kloe and Spider didn't want to take a chance, so they moved forward and left the body where it lay.

Fortune was with them apparently, for they were able to make it to within a block of their destination before their progress was again halted. This time, they were forced to hide in a burned out husk of a building by a small group of raiders that they assumed were from the nearby school. When they heard the sounds of the raiders' speech grow faint and finally move out of earshot, they emerged from their hiding spot and looked for a good perch in which to stake out their quarry.

It took them another thirty minutes of skittering from shadow to shadow to locate what Spider deemed to be an ideal location to monitor the activity of the raider encampment. This location happened to be on the roof of a mostly intact three story row home adjacent to the school.

After testing the structural stability of the rest of the building and insuring that they wouldn't run into any squatters, Kloe and Spider gained access to the roof and prepared for a long night of observation.

* * *

After the departure of their scouts, Baldo and Clain had surveyed their surroundings and located a suitable building to serve as a temporary base of operations. This stand alone building was half a block down from and opposite to the alley that the others had left from.

The decrepit exterior, with its flaking off-white paint and smashed out windows, belied the excellent condition of the rooms within. After gaining entry thru the large broken bay window, they had found what was once a safe house for a jet-addicted wastelander, judging from the number of empty inhalers they had located near a decaying dark brown couch. The main room was otherwise devoid of furnishings and the smaller room and kitchen area beyond were also lacking in accoutrements. It was obvious to the mercenaries that someone had already been thru here and taken everything of value.

Upon ascending to the second floor, Baldo was the first to discover the fate of the jet addict in the form of a dried out husk of a body lying in the ancient porcelain bathtub surrounded by even more inhalers. Some of these had yet to be used and Baldo slipped a few of them into his pockets while Clain was occupied with searching the other rooms. _Just a few more hits won't make a difference _

After sweeping the building and determining that there were no threats, Baldo and Clain moved the couch that they had passed downstairs to act as a barrier and block immediate access thru the bay window. This would at the very least alert them of anything trying to gain entry and give them time to prepare if needed. In addition, they found a metal crowbar in the basement and used it to keep the front door propped shut. They luckily had found a house with a heavy iron door that blocked access from the rear, so they didn't bother reinforcing that further once it was locked in place.

After insuring that the other means of entry were properly looked after they both took refuge in the room closest to the street on the second floor. Their purpose here was to keep an eye on this stretch of road to include the waylay point they had discovered earlier. They had been instructed by Spider to check the alley for his and Kloe's presence every three hours or so starting the following evening at nine.

When they were settled in, Clain took a moment to address the middle-aged man currently occupying a spot on an old radiator and watching the street outside. "Do you really think this is a realistic objective?" Noting a turn of the head and a cocked eyebrow as Baldo's only response, he continued. "How are we to deal with such overwhelming odds? It isn't an option to simply blow up the building the raiders reside in. That is both impractical and likely to kill anyone they may have in their custody."

At this inquiry, Baldo openly sighed and turned to the anxious vault dweller, noting for once how young he now seemed. "Clain, why did you leave your vault?"

A momentary look of shock ran over Clain's face, before he regained control of his emotions. He then tightened his lips until they formed a straight line and furrowed his brow as if in frustration. "I had little choice but to leave." His words were soft and sounded far away at first." I was attempting to find treatments for terminal illnesses and the methods I chose were not accepted by my peers." His response was again met with a cocked eyebrow and an otherwise inscrutable expression so he continued, his voice a little stronger now. "There were a minority of the people in my vault that were unable to be treated given our current knowledge, so instead of allowing them to waste away without hope, I made it my mission to push the envelope, so to speak, and try untested treatments on willing volunteers." At this moment, Clain looked away from the man before him and frowned at the floor, almost growling the next part. "The overseer was going to have me executed under the pretense that I tortured unknowing and desperate individuals for some sick sense of satisfaction..."

Hearing the undoubtedly pain-filled confession of the young doctor, Baldo chose to remain silent and wait for him to continue, attempting to assume a look of reassurance.

After a minute or so, Clain seemed to gain control of his emotions once more and took a deep breath before continuing. "The night before my trial, I packed some necessities, made my way to the vault entry chamber and left my world behind in hopes of being able to help those outside the vault that couldn't help themselves. After all, everyone needs a doctor, right?" He looked almost pleadingly at Baldo for a word of reassurance and wrapped his arms around himself.

"You're a good man, Clain." Baldo began. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." At this point, the older man reached out and placed a hand on the vault dweller's shoulder while maintaining eye contact. "It took a strong person to jump in at Musgrave, knowing the possible consequences for such actions. We will get thru this and we will succeed." After getting a weak nod in response, Baldo removed his hand and went back to watching the moon bathed street outside.

* * *

The night had passed uneventfully for Spider and Kloe as they took turns keeping an eye on their target destination and making note of any weak points in the raiders' defenses.

The makeshift perimeter fencing of the large compound was made up of barbed wire, sheet metal and other debris to a height of about five feet. A single gate, about four feet in height and eight feet in width, consisting of numerous pieces of sheet metal that had been welded together, allowed access to the encampment. It was obvious to the hidden onlookers that this particular group of raiders was either too cocky or too stupid to set up proper defenses other than the fencing.

The two large buildings within the fenced-in perimeter were made up of a mix of concrete and brick and seemed to have survived the centuries with only minor wear and tear to their non-descript edifices. In addition, the only means of lighting seemed to come from flaming barrels placed at varying intervals and from her vantage point on the adjacent roof, Kloe could see that there were several entrances to both buildings, though only one seemed to be in use for each. She considered the possibilities and came to a swift conclusion after weighing it in her mind. _The other entrances are likely trapped..._

Spider had noted that there was seemingly no rhyme or reason to the patrols and for all he knew, the only reason any of them changed shifts was because they had been kicked awake by the previous patrol wanting some sleep. He also noted that there seemed to be a pretty even male to female ratio and several of them showed no modesty in where they performed sexual acts.

This thought was compounded by several onlookers directing the action and the three raiders involved, two middle-aged men and one young-looking woman, getting seemingly excited by the fact. Spider shook his head in disgust but took solace in the fact that most raiders at the very least were predictable in their actions.

As the first light of morning touched upon the roof of their hideaway, Kloe and Spider quietly discussed what they had viewed during their respective shifts and came to a common conclusion: gaining access to the raider compound at night would be a simple matter, but they would continue watching the camp throughout the day to insure that there wasn't something they had overlooked.

During the morning hours Kloe did not find it unusual that there was even less activity to be observed and there seemed to be only three patrollers she could count moving around the inside perimeter of the fencing. It seemed that their movement was sluggish and lacked purpose.

Noting the lack of raiders present, she weighed the benefits of attacking at night and relying on the cover of darkness against attacking during the early morning and encountering only guards that put up limited resistance.

Spider took over at around noon and it was shortly thereafter that he noticed the activity begin to pick up. This was very likely due to a group of five raiders strutting in with three wastelanders, two young-looking women and one haggard-looking man in his mid-thirties, that had ropes around their hands and were being almost dragged behind the group. The approaching raiders were fully garbed according to their chosen profession, including spikes, chains and other such adornments, and three of them also wore masks to complete their ensemble. Their approach was met with much fanfare as one of those patrolling ran to a tarnished bell that Spider had just noticed and began to sound an alarm of sorts. Within minutes, the place was a hive of activity, as rough-looking men and women streamed out of the two buildings to welcome their comrades and their new playthings.

He counted about forty or so heads, each with varying degrees of battle scars, tattoos and brands that marked them for what they were. It was also readily apparent whom the majority of them looked to for direction, as they surrounded those newly arrived and halted their jeers and insults to the wastelanders when an intimidating man, likely a head taller than the rest, entered the circle. He made no attempt to silence the crowd, though noting his presence, the rest seemed to quiet down until silence reigned once more within moments.

Their leader stood about seven feet tall and had skin that was severely darkened by the sun, with a leather-like quality to it. He was heavily muscled and his numerous scars and tattoos could be seen about his torso through his scant gray utility vest that he wore over faded fatigues. He had sharp features and it appeared that his nose had been broken multiple times given the odd angles at which it sat.

When the commotion had ceased the giant of a man approached the newcomers and, after circling the wastelanders as a shark circles its prey, uttered a few words to the raiders that had brought them and seemed to nod his head in approval. He then stuck his right fist up into the air, with his thumb carefully placed so that it neither pointed up nor down. A moment of tension passed through the crowd as they waited for his unspoken signal. When he finally gave a thumbs up and again resumed nodding with a sadistic grin on his face, the crowd of raiders surged forward and swept up the wastelanders like a wave of living bodies anxious to guide them to their final reward.

What happened next took Spider by surprise, as he hadn't guessed at the purpose of four metal X-shaped objects placed centrally within the courtyard of the encampment when he viewed them the night before. The massed raiders dragged the three wastelanders toward these objects and secured them in place with their legs spread wide. The women faced the crowd before them and the man was left facing away. A few members of the crowd ripped their clothing off of them in a violent fashion and it was at this point that Spider chose to look away, as he knew what was coming next...

* * *

Night had fallen once more and the street had seen little to no activity during the last 24 hours or so that Baldo and Clain had been observing it. Most of the time had been spent in silence and Clain had taken advantage of this time to read a number of electronic books that were stored on his Pip boy. He admired the seemingly boundless patience that Baldo displayed and tried to avoid causing him undue stress by continuing to air his concerns.

When the time approached to check the alley for their companions, they made sure that the remainder of the house was secured before opening the front door and quietly making their way over to the agreed upon location. Upon entering the alley, they both observed that there had been no change since the night before and they settled down to wait for the mercenaries' tentative return.

They were not kept waiting long, as Clain had registered two friendly blips on the screen of his Pip boy about 30 minutes after arriving and quickly alerted Baldo in response. Suffice it to say that they were not alarmed when Spider and Kloe appeared around the corner of the alley with not a sound to mark their approach.

"Welcome back. How did it..." Clain began but was cut off by Spider whose raspy voice sounded a bit strained when he spoke.

"We have to move. Now." Spider looked from one to the other and then continued. "Make sure you have all of your gear because these raiders need to die...tonight."

* * *

Proofread by Nutzoide.


End file.
